Brockton, Oliver Ames girls honor Coach Brennan

Emotion was high on Sunday as the Brockton and Oliver Ames girls basketball teams met in a tournament game just days after the death of a coach with ties to both schools.

The Brockton girls basketball team had three players finish in double figures on Sunday and two more with eight and nine points as the Boxers beat Oliver Ames, 61-39, in an emotional semifinal round game in the annual Harry Lehmann Memorial Tournament at Bridgewater State University.

Both teams entered the game with heavy hearts after the sudden passing of former Brockton girls coach and Oliver Ames boys assistant coach Pat Brennan last week. After a moment of silence before the game, Oliver Ames coach Elaine Clement-Holbrook and Brockton coach April Dingwell presented the Brennan family with flowers. Brockton players and coaches also wore T-shirts that had "Coach Brennan" on the back.

"Pat was just so important to both teams and both programs,'' said Dingwell, who along with assistant coach Stephanie Savas played for Brennan at Brockton High. "It shows just what an incredible man he was and how many hearts and lives he touched. It was great that we both ended up in the gym playing each other. It speaks volumes to see how many people came out to support his family tonight.

"Everyone has said to me once I got this job that I have hard shoes to fill here following Pat Brennan and I have always said that I have amazing shoes to fill. He taught a lot of people, including myself, Coach Savas and Coach (David) Rea the game, and he also taught a lot of people how to coach the game of basketball.''

Said Clement-Holbrook: "Pat's daughter Alison played for me. Pat had the opportunity to coach a lot of our girls in travel and AAU basketball, so a lot of these girls had the chance to get to know and learn the game from Pat. It's not just about the person, but it's also what Pat meant to the whole town of Easton and so many people's lives he touched.

"Pat's wife Paula was my first captain at Oliver Ames when I started coaching. I have been fortunate enough to know Pat Brennan for a very long time.''

Brockton (16-2) jumped out to an 11-8 lead after the first quarter, connecting on three 3-pointers to aid its cause. The Boxers shot the ball better in the second half and outscored the Tigers 20-9 to take a 33-16 lead into halftime.

Junior Natasha Elias scored seven points in the quarter for the Boxers, including the last four points on a baseline jumper and an offensive rebound put-back at the buzzer.

Oliver Ames cut the deficit to 36-23 with three minutes left in the third quarter before the Boxers closed the quarter on an 8-1 run with baskets by Catherine Louis (five points), freshman Jalani Jackson (11 points), Geornaisha Silva-Moore (eight points) and Toni Fairhurst (six points) for a 44-25 lead.

Brockton will play undefeated Duxbury (19-0) in tonight's championship game at 5:30. Oliver Ames (9-10), which qualified for the tournament with a win over Stoughton on Friday night that secured second place for the Tigers in the Hockomock League's Davenport Division, will play North Attleboro (14-7) in today's consolation game at 2.